2009.11.04 The old cemetery mausoleum 2009.11.04

Written by David Green.

By DAVID GREEN

When I look at the photograph of the old mausoleum at Oak Grove Cemetery, I’m just amazed. It was an enormous structure. It must have been very impressive.

According to the Morenci’s history book, it was built in the south part of the cemetery and many families were interred there and “the visitors rooms were well furnished with sturdy wood chairs and tables.”

Now, it seems like such an odd concept to inter families within the rooms of a large stone building. Nearly everyone ends up under ground, and only a few smaller private mausoleums are standing in Oak Grove.

Most everything I’d ever want to know about Morenci’s mausoleum is included in a front page story from the Observer dated Aug. 14, 1908.

The slogan on the front page of the paper reads “A Good Paper in a Good Town,” and just to keep it friendly with our neighbors to the south, a second slogan reads “On the Line of Two Great States.”

This was quite a few years after the State Line Observer was changed back to the Morenci Observer.

Bob Price loaned this 1908 copy to me and what a gift it was.

There was obviously an effort to make this mausoleum the best around. It was compared to one that was recently dedicated in Shelby, Ohio, and Morenci’s promised to “Eclipse in Splendor and Stability” the Shelby building.

Morenci’s version was built with corrugated and pure white stone to surpass the finest Bedford stone.

And get this:

The water-proof compound used in the cement is another important factor, showing the determination of the builder to give the structure in Oak Grove cemetery the benefit of every improvement and discovery known to cement building.”

In Shelby, there were only three outside supporting columns. In Morenci, there were five and they extended outward twice as far as Shelby.

The entire article seems to give off a “nyaaa, nyaaa, nyaaa” flavor toward Shelby and its new mausoleum.

Much was written about ventilation. Each crypt included two pipes to allow “the gases of the body to escape.” One pipe was for heavy, foul gases that led underground; the other to convey lighter gases up through the roof.

The roof included a beautiful domed arch and skylight. There were copper eaves and flushing, while Shelby used inferior materials.

There was a well-ventilated rest room for ladies and a receiving vault where bodies could be kept for as long as desired before placement in the crypt.

Finally, there was 1,700 square feet of handsome marble interior finish, furnished by the local dealer, Fauver & Marshall.

Beauty and durability, an ornament to Oak Grove cemetery—at least until 1954. Forty-six years after it was constructed, it came down. State officials condemned the building. It was demolished after someone had the task of removing the remains from the crypts and burying them in the ground.

When I read about the marble interior—the very beautiful marble interior—a light, likely fueled by body gases, went off above my head.

I quickly called my father and asked where the marble slabs came from that are used in the back office to set up printing jobs. I knew what he was about to say: From the old mausoleum.

The bodies went into the ground, but a few pieces of the former beauty live on here at the Observer.

GAMES DAY—Finn Molitierno (right) celebrates a goal during a game of Nok Hockey with his sister, Kyla. The two tried out a variety of games Saturday at Stair District Library’s annual International Games Day event. One of the activities featured a sort of scavenger hunt in which participants had to locate facts presented in the Smithsonian Hometown Teams exhibit. The traveling show left Morenci’s library Tuesday, wrapping up a series of programs that began Oct. 2. Additional photos are on page 7.

STRANGE STUFF—Morenci Elementary School students learn that blue isn’t really blue when seen through the right color of lens. Volunteer April Pike presents the lesson to students at one of the many stations brought to the school by the COSI science center. The theme of this year’s visit was the solar system.

MAPLE leaves show their fall colors in a puddle at Morenci’s Riverside Natural Area. “This was a great year for colors,” said local weather watcher George Isobar. Chilly mornings will give way to seasonable fall temperatures for the next two weeks.

MORENCI Marching Band member Brittany Dennis keeps the beat Friday during the half-time show of the Morenci/Pittsford football game. Color guard member Jordan Cordts is at the left. The band performed this season under the direction of Doyle Rodenbeck who served as Morenci’s band director in the 1970s. He’s serving as a substitute during a family leave.

MOVING EAST—Utility workers continue their slow progress east along U.S. 20 south of Morenci. New electrical poles are put in place before wiring is moved into place.

A PERFORMER named Biligbaatar, a member of the AnDa Union troupe from Inner Mongolia, dances at Stair District Library last week during a visit to the Midwest. The nine-member group blends a variety of traditions from Inner and Outer Mongolia. The music is described as drawing from “all the Mongol tribes that Genghis Khan unified.” The group considers itself music gatherers whose goal is to preserve traditional sounds of Mongolia. Biligbaatar grew up among traditional herders who live in yurts. Additional photos are on the back page of this week’s Observer.

HOLDEN HUTCHISON gives a hug to a black bear cub—the product of a taxidermist’s skills—at the Michigan DNR’s Great Youth Jamboree. The event on Sunday marked the fourth year of the Jamboree. Additional photos are on page 12.